One-hand cable cutter



H. M. WEBSTER ONE-HAND CABLE CUTTER March 3, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1358 Izwezafiofl: Huang M WeZwZeai not limited thereto. I away from and retrieved to a hovering helicopterby means of a small but strong metalcable ONE-HAN D CABLE CUTTER Harry M. Webster, Malden, Mass., assignor to H. K.

Porter, Inc., Somerville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 19, 1958, Serial No. 762,044

1 (Ilairn. (Cl. 30-254) This invention relates to a portable cable cutter for one-hand operation.

1 Men are lowered helicopter on the other, will each have a cutter as will.

be described. Its construction admits his applying the cutter to the line quickly and surely, even under adverse conditions, and perhaps at the outermost distance he can reach while holding on with the other hand and quickly cutting it by a single stroke.

The invention will be well understood by reference to the following description of the illustrative embodiment thereof shown by way of example in the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the tool in open position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation illustrating the closed position;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the head portion thereof in the closed position; and

Figs. 4-7 are enlarged sections on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 1.

In the interest of simplicity, strength and rapidity of action the tool herein disclosed is of the simple crossed lever type having a single pivot engaging two crossing levers defining at one side of the pivot the head levers 12 and 14, and at the other side the two handle levers 16 and 18. The crossing levers are herein shown as of conventional built-up construction, the head levers having tails which extend past the pivot and engage the proximal portions of the handles, themselves mounted on the pivot, to operate as units therewith. The head levers move past one another in the manner of shear blades although, as will appear, they are not sharpened throughout their length.

In the following description I shall use the terms right and left to refer to the construction as viewed in Fig. 1, the words however being merely relative, and I shall use the words distal and proximal with relation to the pivot 10, proximal being that portion of the part being referred to which is nearer the pivot and distal the portion further away.

A onehand tool is characteristically operated by a squeezing action of the hand exerting pressure between the curved over fingers, one handle resting against the middle phalanges and the butt of the palm adjacent the proximal ends of the metacarpals where the other handle rests. A cable of the kind referred to can be severed by a one-handed tool of suitable strength and quality so operated. However, to secure an adequate mechanical advantage, the opening between the head levers would be small, which might not be objectionable if we could United States Patent 2,875,520 Patented Mar. 3, 1959 position the tool on stationary work or when holding the work with the other hand, conditions which may not obtain in practice.

According to the invention therefore, the proportion of the handles in general more resembles a two-handed tool of the type found in somepruners. Thus, by way of example, in the tool illustrated in the drawing, the straight line distance between the pivot 10 and the end of the handles was nine inches. A spring 20 tends to open the handles 16 and 18 to an extreme position beyond the compass of the partly closed grasping hand. The

. head levers 12 and 14 cut close to the pivot 10 and,

The invention provides a novel construction enabling eflicient use of thecutter under ,the exacting demands arising in connection with the use of helicopters, although the field of use of the tool is when the handles are in the fully open position they r are so located as to permit them to be quickly applied to the work to engage the same and guide it to the point of out, while the handles are so constructed that, when the tool is in the open position with the handles widely spread, it may be supported on the palmar side of the outstretched hand and retained by the tips of a finger and the thumb and, when so supported, guided to the Work and, after preliminary engagement is eifected,partly closed (against the action of the spring 20 only, no cutting being done) by a slight movement of that finger and thumb effective to shift thehandles into a position suitable fdr grasping by the hand as a whole to effect the cut.

I shall describe the head levers 12 and 14. The head lever 12 is relatively long and has a bent-over pointed extremity from which extends a broad-faced surface 22, concaved toward theother lever and leading to a stop surface 24 adjacent the pivot 10. Just outwardly of this stop surface the blade has a recess 26 of a width slightly exceeding the diameter of the cable (taken in the example as of an inch) and somewhat deeper, so that the cable may pass therein beyond the extension of the line 22. The distal wall of the recess may be relieved at its end as shown at 27 to provide a wider entrance to facilitate the passage of the cable into the recess. The bottom portion of the recess 26 is beveled to a cutting edge in the plane between the two levers, as shown at 28. The opposite head lever 14 is considerably shorter than the lever 12 and has a convexly curved broad-faced surface 30 opposing the concavely curved surface 22 of head lever 12. The proximal portion of this head lever 14 opposite the recess 26 is beveled (on the further side viewing Fig. 1) at 32, the edges 28 and 32 providing a shearing cut when the two head levers move across one another.

I shall now describe the preferred form of handles here disclosed. The right-hand handle 18 has a nib 34 extending outwardly from its outer side which in the closed position of the tool receives the sinus where the thumb joins the body of the hand, the distal portion 36 of the handle being adapted for engagement with the butt of the palm in the final cutting movement. The left-hand handle 16 is provided on its outward side with a loop 38 which receives the index finger while the opposing distal extension 40 of the handle beneath the loop receives the other fingers during the cutting action proper.

In the open position the widely spaced levers may be supported resting on the extended hand, but held against loss by the bent-over end of the index finger in the loop 33 and the tip of the thumb bearing on the distal side of the nib 34. The tool may be easily shaken loose and dropped if necessary when the hand is in this position. The single loop will not catch and hold. In this open position of the parts with the tool balanced on the hand, it may be steered even at arms length and the outwardly projecting end of head lever 12 hooked against one side of the cable and the tool thrust forward in a plane transverse to the cable. The opposed. shorter lever 14 does not stand in the way. The word hooked has been enclosed with quotation marks because the end 22 of head lever12-does" not make a hook engagement with 'the-work-which could- -take-charge and perhaps snatch the tool from the hand. wAS the cablefollows down alongthe concave surface22 is will be guided on the other'side;by the* convex surface 30 of the shorter lever.

Any--wobbling'willcause it to bounce back and'for'th between these two surfacesand workits way down into fthfi gradually narrowing space between surfaces 22 and "30 towardthe pivot 10 until it reaches the position of the recess 26,-and can'rnove into the same.

This I action will be felt and as opportunity ofiers crooking of the fore finger and a corresponding sliding movement of the 7 I-by the edges 28 and;32.

"Suitable means are provided for holding the tool closed against thespring 26 when not in use, convenientlyarranged adjacent the hand and adapted to be very quickly released. by motion of a finger. Herein a short length of head chain 42 is secured to one handle and carries a ring 44 to engage over a pin 46 on the other.

ying gloves. The end of one handle has a hole'48 to receive a lanyard.

I claim: A one-hand cutter for wire cables or the like,compris-.

2 ing a simple pair of crossed levers secured by apivot,

Simplicity is the desideratum particularly as the users may be wearclosing moves acrossfthe notch beveled .xin ,theplaneifbetween the head levers.

the proximal ends of the levers defining a pair of handles and -the-distal-ends a pair of headleverst-he opposed -sides said scope, one of the head levers being relatively long and tapered to a point with a concave curve on Ihejnner side ,from said point to adjacent the pivot, there being a stop surface transverse to-said-curve attire-rearward end of one of said levers; Said side-having just outward of said stop surface a deep notch to receive a cable and encompass at least half the circumference thereof, the inner portion of the notch being beveled to a cutting edge in the plane between the head levers, the other and 20' shorter head 'lever-being convexly curved onits inner sid e,,the, aforesaid curved sides of the two-levers-being,

.in the open position, spaced from each other in the region distal to" the stop surface and defining an area between them narrowing as the center pivot, is approached,:'said (other lever having a; portion of its inner side which in to a cuttingedge No references cited. 

